"KAZUKI!" (SS4)
In the eliminated seating, Sogetsu had a conniption fit.
Kazuki waved at him with a mocking grin and ran into the ring, slashing Demitri across the chest as he entered.
Wanderer sorted furiously through a stack of CDs. "Hmm... Earth, Wind, and Fire... Jimi Hendrix... James Taylor... Artificial Joy Club... I don¹t know what song to use here."
"He's already in the ring. Give up." Birdman stole one of Wanderer's sodas.
"NYM--"
Wanderer did a double-take. "Um... never mind..."
"I MEAN, IORI YAGAMI!" (KOF96)
Iori chuckled to himself, throwing his cigarette into the dimensional field as he entered the ring. (It passed through the field and landed in Cheng Sinzan's hair, starting a grease fire.) When as much power was at stake as was now, a championship seemed such a puny thing.
Amakusa had suggested, and rightly enough, that Iori get his draw over with early. The goblin had been remarkably easy to bribe, especially since he was trading a late draw for a relatively early one.
The sigil on his arm was still glowing.
Iori felt a demonic laugh coming on. He didn¹t see the need to fight it.
"CAMMY!" (SF)
"Have I been here before?" Cammy wondered to herself. "Something seems familar."
Chun Li roundhoused her into the "ropes". "Was it that?"
"ROCK!" (SE)
Rock hoisted his axe onto his shoulder and ambled down to the ring. His heart was light. Soul Edge was within his reach.
Chopping Cervantes' damn head off was just a bonus, really.
Eliminated Seating
Alex re-entered the RumbleDome with the gleaming Saturday Night Slammasters championship belt around his waist. It didn't look terribly appropriate, but it made him smile.
Xiao Long was walking next to him. They had returned to the RumbleDome around the same time, and were talking idly, although not that much. They didn't have a lot in common, except for a tendency towards being quiet.
As they emerged into the bleachers, an odor like ammonia and sulfur hit them. "What's that smell?" Alex asked Xiao, his nose crinkling.
"Someone has slain a creature near here," the monk said after a cautious sniff. "I do not recognize what it might be, however."
Alex shrugged. "Not a problem. I'll just sit over there."
"Excuse me, my friend." A hand clapped onto Alex's shoulder. "I believe that you shall talk with me before you sit anywhere."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Who're you?"
"My name," the man said, "is Wolfgang Krauser. My associates are Axel and Blood. You have something of ours."
Alex thought for a moment, and pulled out the Space Gem. "This?"
"Yes, that. Exactly." Krauser smiled encouragingly, or tried to. On him, it looked like he was going to try and eat whoever he was smiling at.
"You can't have it." Alex replaced it. "I don't think it's yours."
Axel and Blood moved forward to try and take the Gem by force. Blood flew in a shallow arc over the seats, grabbing onto the railing overlooking the general admissions area. Hawk simply fell to his knees with a broken nose.
"Ah, good." Krauser rubbed his hands together. "A fight."
Alex frowned. There were days everyone sounded like Ryu, and this was apparently going to be one of them.
Xiao Long came up behind him. "Will you need help?"
"I doubt it." Alex gestured at Krauser. "If you really have to, let's go."
The Ring
"SIE KENSOU!" (KOF96)
Wanderer put the first of Mai's suggested theme music in. The Gin Blossoms began to play.
As Sie walked down to the ring, he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going; up in one of the skybox seats, he could see Athena sitting next to Ryo with her head on his shoulder. He was seething.
"And you can trust me not to think/ And not to sleep around/ If you don't expect too much from me/ You might not be let down..."
"Why are we doing this again?" Wanderer murmured. Sie finally heard the song. He started turning red.
"I couldn't help it. She pointed her snoobs at me and I had to agree."
Cause all I really want is to be with you/ Feeling like I matter too/ If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago/ I might be here with you..."
Sie screamed in rage, jumped in the ring, and did unpleasant psychic things to everyone around him.
"Hey, jealousy!"
"SILVER SAMURAI!" (XM:COTA)
On his way down to the ring, the Samurai brandished his trophy from last year at everyone around him. His "You Don't Suck" award was carefully polished to a glowing sheen.
"MAXIMUS!" (WG)
"WAR GODS SUCK! WAR GODS SUCK!" The audience was stomping their feet in time.
"Don't let this go to your head, Silverbolt," Wanderer muttered into the comm.
"Who, me?"
"LILITH AENSLAND!" (DS3)
"Welcome back, my friends/ to the show that never ends/ We're so glad you could attend/ Come inside, come inside!..."
Lilith rode her cloud of bats into the ring, and had them set her down next to Demitri. "Hi! I'¹m not sure, but I think there's some kind of ancestral hatred going on between my family and yours, so I gotta kill you now. Okay?"
Demitri blinked at her. "What?"
"'Kay!" Lilith happily tore into him.
"AARDRUS!" (I&B)
On his way down to the ring, Aardrus brained a few people who got too close to the aisle. He hated being around so many living people. It made him feel all crawly.
Room 1237, RumbleDome Hotel
Deimos gazed at the artwork adorning his suite's wall. The artist--Deimos checked the plaque underneath the painting--this "Picasso" obviously had an altered perspective. Deimos approved of altered perspectives, so long as he was the one altering them.
He turned to face his mercenaries. "So, those are the terms of my employment. Good English gold can be yours, if you can but bring me these men, alive or dead." Artists' renderings of Guy, Ryo, Demitri, and Jeffry were tacked to the wall.
"Nym can bring them all to you by himself," Nym Pymplee volunteered. "Nym doesn't think these guys look like much of a challenge."
"Balthazaar, take Nym into the next room and feed him," Balok ordered. "He's getting antsy." He looked back at Deimos. "Is there a time you wanted them by?"
"Tonight would be ideal."
Balok saluted. "Then tonight it shall be."
Suddenly, the door chimed. Deimos rose to his feet. "Dregan! The door, if you please. And be alert." Deimos himself rested his hand on the hilt of his massive sword.
Dregan shambled over to the door. "Forsooth, it is upon me to determine whyfore you hast come to our place of dwelling, boy!"
It was a bellhop. "Room service, sir. Complimentary from Rumble management to those fighters living in the luxury suites. A roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings--and an extra two turkeys--and three boxes of Fudgesicles, sir."
Deimos's stomach growled at the smell of the turkeys. They had been prepared exquisitely. Still, his curiosity was piqued. "Fudgesicles? What are these things you speak of?"
"Ice cream bars, sir." The bellhop opened one of the boxes and displayed something wrapped in a white fold.
"Ice cream? I had that once. Sounds tasty." The Executioner snatched the bar from the bellhop's hand and bit into it. "Pfwah!" He spat out bits of paper. "What is this covering?"
"Paper, sir. Meant to keep it fresh, sir."
The Executioner looked angry. "You think I did not know this? You think I am a fool?"
The bellhop looked intimidated. "No, sir! Not at all, sir!"
"Perhaps I should teach you that I am not foolish!" The Executioner fingered his axe.
Deimos cut into the Executioner's rant like a knife through butter. "Enough. He merely shows you the proper way of appreciating this futuristic delicacy."
Whilst Deimos was scolding the Executioner, neither they nor Dregan noticed a robotic arm snaking out from underneath the carrying cart's tablecloth. A small panel on the back of the hand slid open and spat out a small silver disc, which flew out and adhered itself to the nearest chair leg.
"...and we do not abuse the staff unless it is necessary. In this case, abusing the staff is a luxury. So we let him go. Is this understood?"
The Executioner nodded sullenly.
Deimos folded his arms in satisfaction. "Very well. You may leave the cart here, boy."
The bellhop suddenly looked panicked. "Uh, I can't do that, sir. I need to bring it back. I can leave the trays on your table, sir..."
Deimos considered this briefly. "Very well. You may do this. We must, after all, follow our orders."
The bellhop quickly placed the trays (and the boxes) on the dining table, and wheeled the cart out of the room.
"Good servant, that." Deimos approved of humble servants.
Sabertooth, though, was on his feet and sniffing the air. "Somethin ain't right here."
"And what might that be?"
"The kid's scent. He smells like expensive cologne." Sabertooth walked towards the door. "I'm gonna check this out."
Deimos sighed. "Executioner, go with him."
The black-hooded man threw a drumstick down. "With pleasure. These aren't done right." He hoisted his axe and followed Sabertooth into the hall.
Hallway, RumbleDome Hotel
As the bellhop left Deimos' room, Rimururu relaxed visibly. She was standing on one side of the door, with Konril on the other. "I think that was the silliest plan ever, Lion."
"It worked, though." Lion Rafale tossed his bellhop's hat on the floor.
"Roger Wilco!" Yoshimitsu echoed from underneath the cart. "All systems are ready for launch!"
"He means the bug'¹s ready anytime you are."
"Oh." Rimururu blinked. "I have to go down to the ready room, though. I go into the ring soon." She sheathed her knife. "Could the two of you find my sister? She was just eliminated. Tell her everything."
Lion nodded. "Good luck, Rimmy."
"Thanks. You too." Rimururu took off for the elevators.
"We have only twenty minutes before the premiere episode of 'Deimos' Creek,'" Yoshimitsu whispered.
Lion knelt down next to Yoshimitsu. As he did so, he saw Sabertooth and the Executioner round the corner, only ten feet away.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Sabertooth asked. "A couple of spies."
Yoshimitsu ignited his sword, slicing the cart in two. "Smile when you say that, sugar."
"Oboy," Lion muttered.
Locker Rooms, RumbleDome Hotel
Yun and Yang were laughing their asses off.
From experience, Ken knew that was bad. He stepped out from the shower room and grabbed Yang by the back of the shirt. "What are you up to?"
Both of them kept laughing. It was an effort for them to talk. "You know that chick Athena?" Yun asked.
"Yeah..."
"Well, we just broke into her locker and took a few of those pills she had last year. She doesn't use 'em anymore, but she still carries them." Yang fought to get control of himself. "Anyway, we put 'Œem in Ryu's water bottle."
"Yeah," Yun added. "He drinks out of that, he'll be seeing things for like five minutes!"
"It'll be great!" Yang fell over laughing.
Ken thought this over for a long moment. "In Athena's locker?"
"Yeah." They both were starting to calm down now.
He wound a towel around his head. "I'll talk to you two later."
"Later, Ken! Good luck in the ring!" The two boys filed out.
Ken didn't hear them. He took off for the women¹s locker room at a dead run.
The Ring
"DURAAL!" (VF3)
Wanderer looked bored. "She goes in, someone turns her into a pile of goop, she goes out. Ho-hum."
"It could be different this year." Birdman pointed. "That's a live mike."
All the color drained from Wanderer's face.
Duraal actually did look a little mad. She jumped into the ring and went after Captain America with a vengeance, but not without a glare at the command booth.
"MORDOS KULL!" (M:tDA)
"STRAWBERRY JAM! STRAWBERRY JAM!"
"How do all these people know all about me?" Mordos grumbled to himself.
"RYU!" (SF3:2I) "How ya doin', Ryu?" Ken asked. He had a water bottle and a pair of pills in his hand.
"My head hurts," Ryu said honestly. They stood in the ready room. "I've been trying to figure out this issue with Chun Li for twenty minutes, and I'm no closer now than when I began."
"I thought that might be the case," Ken said brightly. "Here." He handed Ryu the two pills. "Little, yellow, different... and they're Chinese, which means they're probably some of those all-natural herbal medication things you like so much."
Ryu gratefully accepted the pills, and the water bottle to wash them down. "Thank you, Ken. You're a good friend."
"No problem, Ryu. Hey, they called your name."
"They did indeed." Ryu started off towards the ring.
Ken waited until Ryu was actually in the ring before collapsing in helpless laughter.
"Ryu!" Chun Li said, running up to him as he entered. "I didn't know you were in this early!"
Ryu looked at her blankly.
"It's me, Ryu. Chun Li." She started to get worried. "Are you all right?"
"As 'all right' as I can be when the fluffy bunny rabbits are saying they're Chun Li," Ryu said hesitantly.
"What?"
And, the final fighter of this Section:
"HEAVY D!" (KOF94)
"Don't call it a comeback/ I been here for years/ Rockin' my peers/ Puttin' suckers in fear/ Makin' the tears rain down like a monsoon/Listen to the bass go boom!"
D! was confident as he walked down to the ring. He considered this a test match, to see if he'd gotten rusty. When this was over, it was time to start training for the King of Fighters '98. He liked the way that sounded: "Heavy D!--King of Fighters '98."
Ryu looked curiously at him as he entered. "Excuse me, sir, but how does a banana lace up a boxing glove?"
D! stared back at him. He felt a lot less confident all of a sudden.
WHO WILL LIVE?
WHO WILL DIE?
IS THE RUMBLE ENDORSING RECREATIONAL DRUGS?